The situation of the people has recently deteriorated.
(Photo: AP)
Warsaw .
In temperatures around freezing point, thousands of migrants have been waiting for several days on the Belarusian border in makeshift camps in the forest. The Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko is accused of bringing refugees from crisis regions to the EU’s external border in an organized manner.
The Belarusian state agency Belta again showed photos of people huddled around campfires in the cold. In the course of the day, more relief supplies should arrive at the camp. On the opposition Telegram channel Nexta it was said that there were still larger groups of migrants on their way from the capital Minsk towards the Polish border. Since independent journalists are not allowed there, the information can hardly be verified so far.
Poland is considering calling on NATO for help because of migrant pressure on its borders. The military alliance must take concrete steps to end the crisis on the border with Belarus, Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told the PAP news agency on Sunday.
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“We are discussing with Latvia, especially with Lithuania, whether we should invoke Article 4 of the NATO treaty.” According to this article, NATO consultations can be requested if a member declares that its territory or independence is threatened.
Meanwhile, just before the adoption of new EU sanctions against Belarus, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to mediate on the migration crisis. “We are ready to help with all means, if it should be up to us,” he said in a TV interview according to a report by the RIA news agency.
In the French newspaper “Le Journal du Dimanche”, the EU foreign affairs representative Josep Borrell confirmed that the EU foreign ministers would decide on sanctions against Belarus this Monday. This lays the foundation for everyone involved in the people smuggling to be punished.
It is unclear whether more migrants are on their way to the border.
(Photo: imago images / ITAR-TASS)
According to the Polish police, a group of around 50 migrants broke the barrier on the border with Belarus and got to Poland. The incident occurred on Saturday evening near the village of Dubicze Cerkiewne, a police spokesman said on Sunday. The officers initially arrested 22 Iraqis.
All other migrants were arrested shortly afterwards by border guards and soldiers, said a spokeswoman for the border guard. The entire group had been brought back to the border in Belarus.
According to the police, another larger group tried to cross the border not far from the village of Kolonia Klukowicze – but to no avail. The refugees threw stones at the officers, and one officer was slightly injured.
Poland reported another incident on the border with Belarus on Sunday. According to this, about 50 migrants broke the barriers and penetrated into Polish territory near the village of Starzyna. 22 Iraqi citizens were subsequently arrested. The police also reported on Twitter about another attempt to violently cross the border. An officer was hit by a stone on the hard hat. In total, there were 223 attempts to illegally cross the border on Saturday, the Polish border guard announced.
Poland denies transit rumors
Poland warns migrants on the border with Belarus via SMS not to believe rumors about an allegedly imminent transit to Germany. The message circulated among migrants that buses from Germany would pick up the refugees on November 15 and that Poland had given their consent to pass through, according to the short message.
“That is a lie and nonsense! Poland will continue to protect its border with Belarus. ”The SMS in English would be received by everyone whose cell phones were in the border area within range of the Polish cell phone, wrote Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski on Twitter. The short message contains a link to the website of his ministry, where this message can be found in five languages.
Migrants have already managed to break through the border and some of them have been arrested.
(Photo: AP)
On Tuesday, German activists in Poland failed in their attempt to bring migrants from the border operation to Germany. The bus from the Seebrücke Deutschland and LeaveNoOneBehind initiatives was stopped by the Polish police a few kilometers before the Kuznica border crossing.
Poland has declared a state of emergency in a three-kilometer zone along the border. Aid organizations are not allowed in.
Putin denies involvement
The EU accuses the Russian-backed Belarusian government of orchestrating the crisis in order to put pressure on the international community, which has imposed sanctions on the country and wants to tighten them. This rejects the allegations. Several states in the region warn that the dispute could degenerate into a military conflict.
In the TV interview, Putin denied that the governments in Minsk and Moscow could be behind the influx of migrants on the Polish and Lithuanian borders. The Russian President blamed the West for the crisis and referred to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Bundestag President Bärbel Bas called for rapid help for the refugees. “People are brought to the border with the EU with a false promise. They are being abused, ”said the SPD politician of the Funke media group. “Europe must quickly agree on how these people can be helped.”
More: The Belarus crisis is the final dress rehearsal for a serious EU foreign policy